AUSTIN &8212; The Austin offense heated up in the second half of its basketball game with Albert Lea and allowed the Packers to claim a 70-63 win Thursday night.

Albert Lea had a 32-28 lead at halftime, but Anna Hebrink collected 21 of her game-high 28 points in the second half.

&8220;We changed up our defense a little in the second half, and we were not as aggressive closing out as we needed to be,&8221; Albert Lea head coach Karol Hansen said.

The Packers shot better from the floor, behind the arc and at the charity stripe than the Tigers

did in the game.

Albert Lea was led by Liz Thompson&8217;s 15 points while both Niki Hendrickson and Cara Thorn added 11 points apiece. Thorn also led the Tigers with eight rebounds.

&8220;There was a lot of emotions in this game being our I-90 rivals, but I thought the girls handled themselves well in a physical game,&8221; Hansen said.

The loss dropped the Tigers into fourth place in the Big Nine currently with a 12-6 mark. Albert

Lea concludes the regular season with a 17-8 record overall.

Albert Lea now turns its attention to section play which begins Wednesday when it hosts Winona.

The Tigers beat the Winhawks twice during the regular season.

&8220;We have to respect every opponent we play and be ready for their aggressive, relentless play,&8221; Hansen said. &8220;It is up to us now to determine how long our season lasts.&8221;